Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Laura Timoney fumes after son Patrick, 9, is busted for bringing 2-inch-long toy gun to PS 52

Are people really this paranoid about guns? :vikki:

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Well, he could throw it at someone :)

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Yeah, cause that shit can like..... Hit you in the eye and that just hurts man!


This kind of stuff is so stupid. If the mom does sue, I bet the principal will say he was trying to make sure the kid doesn't become a gun yielding mass murderer.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

It's not a public school issue, it's a goverment issue. Goverment-funded jobs seem to be a haven for idiots. Tolga, I fucking lol'd +rep. People who do stuff like this should be fired and barred from having any job in govermet-funded area's. Aside from that issue, look at this lady.

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/20...stroianni2.jpg

She looks like some kind of demon or something.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

The schools's Defense will be the "Zero Tolerance" policy
I'm sure that they can use something in there to cover
themselves.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

A pencil would be more lethal than that toy gun.

A case of being way too anal there.

And even if there was a zero tolerance policy on toy weapons, that excuse would be thrown out if the judge has any sense.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Yeah, really. Pretty much everything can be used as a weapon.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

But, knowing our goverment, the judge won't have any sense.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

A plastic spoon can easily be used as a weapon. And yes, I'm being serious.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Well, you see, maybe the dumber students wouldn't realize it's a real gun, and, um, they might get scared and poop themselves, and no one wants poopy grade-schoolers! Yeah, that's it!

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

God...People in education are getting crazier by the day.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

I remember I brought a toy gun to school for a type of show and tell project.

yes

I did get in trouble.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

This is unfortunate. When I was in school, kids brought their new deer rifles to school for show and tell. These days, if you mention that you have a gun at home, the principal is notified, and you get treated like you have leprosy the rest of your life.

Oh, and yes, I realize I dated myself there. Such is life...

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

What the?! It's just a toy, there is nothing lethal or harming about miniature toys like these. Or waterpistols and such for that matter.

Now if it was a fullscale copy (pastic or metal) of a gun, with matching color and no bright orange barrel tip... sure. Those sort of toy guns are illegal in the Netherlands as they have been mistaken for real guns and are quite popular with criminals according to the police.

But this? next item on the list would probably those plastic bow and arrow toys...

Edit: WHile at it, they may also punish kids who operate a toy car with a puppet behind the wheel that ain't wearing a seatbelt. =p

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Good god - imagine if the kid had long hair, like the kid in Texas, THEN brought the toy gun into school? And then the school banned the dictionary because it had the word "gun" in it?

why does it seem like every week now there is another story about how schools in the USA are screwing up so badly...?

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That's what happens when the parents cease to be involved in school and the government steps in and takes charge of everything.

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Well at least it didn't have a plastic bayonet on it or that would have been real trouble.

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*GASP*

The horror!

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

I'm waiting for the report where another kid picks a fire-extinguisher up and beats the filthy criminal who took a two inch plastic toy to school to death in self defence.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Probably will happen soon.

Pretty soon, they'll ban new recruits from using live rounds for marksmanship training.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Heh, any Americans know what the legal issues are over there on getting a child to sign a statement without the presence of their parent or guardian? Strikes me as a bit odd.

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They could sign it, but it would be legally meaningless of course. However, they might be able to get away if it is just with school policy, for instance "I won't do this, or else I'll be suspended." But still it would be a pretty meaningless document as even if he didn't sign the same rules would be in place.

So all in all, it's a silly thing.

Also, I agree with this.

Parents need to be more involved in the school system. In terms of the rules of the school district (not the educational material, just disciplinary rules) it should be the parents who are making most of the decisions.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

The same parents who seek to ban/censor certain books such as Anne Franks diary, the dictionary and such? I hope not.

A "union" for parents to provide feedback, advice, where this years fieldtrip or day out should be held and such things, sure enough. But a council to actually set up rules in a school (district)? Not to sure on that. You wouldn't want some "concerned parents" to set up a rule to ban toys like this, certain books and so on.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

I've seen what happens when you let interested people decide on the rules, they make a mess of them.

For instance the university's annual meetings are really fun.

Philosophy students, law students, etc, all arguing over different items of procedure - something not helped by the fact that it's not actually all written down anywhere on the university's website; it includes, by reference, the rules/procedures of other universities, many of who have now changed the location of their websites. Or at least it did the last time I saw it - might have changed by now, who knows. It's not like the university union actually uses the email system for anything besides sending you spam.

For instance there's this regulation that requires me to inform people if we have a meeting - but it's ambiguous enough that you could argue I only have to tell them that we had a meeting. Just have to inform them, nothing about when... =p

As much as anything else people set up rules without any consideration of the implications they have. Ban toy guns - the parents in the article are in favour of such a ban - and someone can use it for a situation like this.

Giving parents the ability to make rules isn't something we should be doing - hire some people specifically to make the rules and fire them if something like this comes up and the rules don't do what you want them to.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

...What?

And lol, I just showed this to my brother who is in the RAAF, and he's defending the actions of the school - Typical, huh?
His argument is "There are guns that small, and do you know how many massacres they've had?"

This is pathetic.
I'm wondering how long it will be before civilians take up arms against their governments.
I mean, they're pushing and pushing with every little details. Censorship, outlawing, etc. It's going to happen sooner or later. They're breeding(/shaping/raising) serial killers and pretending there's no problem.
Things like this just disgust me. I'm going to go live on an island with my girlfriend now kthx. Bye world, I've given up hope.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Let me get this straight... Your brother...Who is in the RAAF? Thinks there are real guns, that are 2 inches long? :Puzzled:

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

I just saw the picture and I just stared at it for 5 minutes. I really want to walk up to the principal there and slap him, the precede to urniate on his unconcious body.

at least the toy gun I brought to school was a good 2 feet with a scope. plus it had the orange tip.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

I never said he was bright.

Guns the size of credit cards, sure. Highly ineffective and highly unlikely a small student would be in possession of and/or bring one to their school.
Guns the size of a small biscuit - ...

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Didn't know they let stupid people fly military aircraft. Meh, you learn something new everyday.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Just because someone is in the Air Force doesn't mean they fly planes.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

To be fair, the banning of a dictionary was directly because of butthurt parents, and idiotic school policies like these are usually brought about by butthurt or irrationally fearful parents. Only difference is that a private school guy doesn't have to worry about each election cycle, he just needs to keep the owners happy.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

To be honest half the shit that happens in public schools is because parents get butthurt and pressure their school boards to change it.

Really last time the government massively involved itself in the schools was during the desegregation process.

It's easy to pass off the blame to an overbearing government but from my experience parents can be just as fault like wolf said.

Plus, it's hardly fair to apply the actions of one school to the entire system. I also find it amusing that the people who are voicing concern for this kid's unfair treatment in the thread were fine with the kid with "long" hair being penalized.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Schools have put in a no tolerance policy so that it acts as blanket punishment for anything against the rules and also saves the school's administration from any bitchy parents that complain about a weapon being brought to school.

Rather than deal with each situation individually, the public schools just figure anything and everything remotely related to being a "weapon" gets the same punishment. It's stupid and idiotic, but that is what happens with a bunch of lazy, incompetent school board members that would rather collect paychecks than improve the school system.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

I'm amazed we haven't banned pencils yet.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

How the fuck is wearing a hat in class disrespectful?

I'm sorry, maybe my head feels unprotected, do you want me to wear a helmet instead?

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Its a damn GI Joe weapon. Who the hell is going to freak out about that, besides utter morons?

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Fixed that for you. Even less concerning than those evil militaristic G.I. Joes :uhoh:

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

Well you guys in the US have about 25 000 gun related deaths per year, yea l guess you could say being paranoid isnt a bad thing....

Maybe if you didnt have a stupid right to bear arms you wouldnt have half the issues you do with crim in the US, lve heard all the arguments, bla guns dont kill people do, all BS, look at stats alone, from country to country, your laws and right to own a gun is retarded.

The right to bear arms should mean you can buy a PC but not a gun.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

We have the second amendment to orgionally form a national gaurd to protect people from the goverment if they got too out of control.

but gun rights is meant to protect, its just misused. and I doubt that many people die a year from people killing each other.

also how do you get paranoid over a gun thats only 1 in. long? maybe a bb gun I would understand but its a little toy gun meant for the GI Joe action figures.

paranoia does not allow such extreme levels of stupidity.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

^Did you miss the part where it's two fucking inches long?

EDIT: Post-jumped.

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

WTF?

No, the right to bare arms should mean the right to wear short sleeved shirts. WTF does a PC have to do with anything?

Re: Is this really what Public School is sinking to?
 

But thats not a lego piece. Thats a plastic action figure weapon.

WTF are you talking about. It means "Everyone has the right to mount a pair of bear arms on their walls". How could that possibly be interpreted any other way?